1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to apparatus for cleaning a swimming pool and, more particularly, to an improved arrangement for deploying a pool cleaning device.
2. Description of Related Art
There are known in the prior art various devices for cleaning the water within a swimming pool. In addition to the stationary, plumbed water circulation system that a swimming pool requires, with its pump, filter, and heater, many pools also are equipped with a system for removing sunken objects from the floor of the pool. Such objects may include leaves and other tree debris, insects, garden detritus, and the like. Although the sunken objects may be removed manually using a vacuum mounted on a long pole, many pool owners employ an automated system for maintaining the pool in as clean a state as possible.
One pool cleaning device that is widely popular and successful comprises a sunken cleaning head secured at the distal end of a floating flexible hose assembly. The hose assembly supplies pool water under pressure to the cleaning head, and the head creates a Venturi action that attracts floating debris and enables their capture and removal by the cleaning head. The hose assembly is typically mounted on a take-up reel disposed adjacent to the perimeter of the pool, and the cleaning head is stored in a storage cavity or receptacle formed in the upper sidewall of the pool and adjacent to the take-up reel.
The hose assembly is typically comprised of a plurality of floats spaced apart along the flexible hose, as well as a plurality of swivel couplings spaced apart therealong to prevent twisting and knotting of the flexible hose. When the hose is deployed and the cleaning head is released into the pool water, the cleaning head is driven by jet action of the water passing therethrough to move forward in a random manner about the surface, thereby assuring that all areas of the pool floor will be cleaned. An exemplary method and apparatus are described in copending U.S. application Ser. No. 10/079,802, filed by the present inventor.
Although it would be ideal to be able to deploy the flexible hose and cleaning head automatically, there are physical factors that mitigate against merely paying out the hose from the take-up reel. The hose is typically too flexible to be pushed out of the storage receptacle into the pool, and the cleaning head cannot generate sufficient jet thrust to pull the hose out into the pool. As a result, it is necessary to manually set out the hose and cleaning head. The hose and head may be easily retracted by rotating the take-up reel and pulling the assembly into the reel, so that the cleaning cycle may be ended without manual intervention. However, automating the entire cleaning cycle, including initial deployment, is a feature that has eluded all efforts known in the prior art.